Hey everyone! I recently had my laptop fixed and ended up with a 500GB SSD and an external 1TB hard disk. The tech guy recommended that I install my games on the SSD for better performance. However, I'm worried that 500GB might not be enough since many games are quite large and have frequent updates. Would it be a good idea to install some games on the external HDD, or would that cause problems? Thanks for your advice!
7 Answers
For most games, installing on an SSD significantly reduces load times and improves performance. I tried installing Starfield on my HDD first, and the performance was terrible—lots of stutters. Once I moved it to the SSD, the issues disappeared. So if you're looking for the best experience, definitely go for internal installation if you can!
It really depends on the games you're playing. Many modern multiplayer games have long loading times if installed on an external HDD, and that could hurt your gaming experience. If you can, consider upgrading your SSD instead for more space!
You probably meant 'worse', not 'worst' here.
Best practice is to install them on your internal drive for best performance. It’s odd that they removed your 1TB drive without consulting you first!
Yeah, I was surprised he didn't put an 1TB SSD in!
You might want to check with the place that fixed your laptop. It'd be good to clear up what happened to your original 1TB internal drive. If your data was lost due to that change, they should take responsibility.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend installing games on an external hard drive. The USB connection can really slow things down unless you've got USB 3.1 or 3.2. It's all about preference, but I feel safer having direct access to game files on an internal drive.
If you're tight on storage, you might need to uninstall games you're not playing and download the new ones as needed. Kind of a hassle, but it's a solution!
If you're using Steam, you can actually move your game installations between drives really easily. Just right click the game, go to Properties, and select 'Move Install Folder'. For smaller or older games, they usually run fine from an external hard drive, but performance varies based on your hardware. For instance, my older SSD gives 500MB/s read speeds compared to my HDD's 115MB/s. You might want to benchmark your drives to see how they compare! Also, a 500GB SSD feels a bit cramped these days—hopefully it didn't cost you a fortune!
I paid €100 for the SSD and hard disk replacement.
Got it, which SSD would you recommend?